Shea Butter health benefits

Rich in vitamins A, E, F and several phytonutrients, Shea butter is a natural fat extracted from the nut of the African Shea tree. When removed, the colour of Shea butter can be anything from white to golden yellow. If properly stored, its shelf life can last for a several years.

Shea Butter is known for its outstanding moisturising and therapeutic properties, and considered to be beneficial in helping heal skin and ease inflammation. Moreover, it is widely used in the cosmeceutical industry for moisturizers, salve, balms and lotions.

Refilled Versus Unrefined Sliea Butter:

A distinction should be made, at this point, between refined and unrefined Shea butter. When used as an active ingredient in commercial skin care products, the Shea butter will often be refined.

This refinement is used to remove things such as smell, colour and any other bits left by the extraction process. Unfortunately, refining also results in stripping out a lot of the butter’s inherent and most valuable therapeutic properties.

Conversely, unrefined Shea butter has been largely unaltered from its original organic state. And in so doing, preserves more of its natural remedial attributes. In order for it to be a truly effective solution if you have dry, very dry or mature skin, it is suggested that unrefined Shea butter be used rather than refined.

A Potent Source of Organic Vitamin A: Great News for Mature Skins!

Shea Butter is an incredibly rich source of completely natural vitamin A; a vitamin known to be a potent defence

against drying and premature aging. Organic butters enhanced with vitamin A have been revealed to be remarkably effective, especially so where skin conditions are dry, itching, pigmented or sunburned.

A Powerful Healer for Troubled Skin Sufferers:

Shea butter’s impressive ability to heal cannot be understated. Many seed oils contain two important components. One part is the moisturizer and the other is the healer. According to the American Shea Butter Institute, what makes Shea butter stand out from other seed oils is that its healing component is far larger than most.

In reality, Shea butter’s healing element has been shown to be anywhere from 5% to 17%! That’s compared to other seed oils, where their healing component can be 1% or less [24l Little wonder then that Shea Butter excels at combating eczema, irritated, sun damaged, dry and other skin conditions.

And Nilotica Shea Butter and Shea Oil.

A brief mention about two other seed oils in the Shea butter family. Nilotica Shea butter is derived from a sub-species of the Shea butter tree, and differs from the more commercially available Shea Butter in a several ways.

Firstly, it has a softer creamier texture, plus, it is more easily absorbed into the skin and has a lighter aroma. Nevertheless, both Shea butters deliver many of the same benefits to dry, mature and troubled skin.

Essentially, Shea Oil is produced by separating the solid part of the Shea butter, leaving only the liquid. Obtaining the oil in this manner, however, does not diminish any of its moisturising or curative properties.